AirPods 5 get easier battery access, iFixit finds in teardown

iFixit's teardown of the AirPods 5 shows Apple has returned to pronged batteries, a change the report says makes these the most repairable Apple earbuds to date. The move replaces the fully glued cells used in recent iterations, and iFixit rates the AirPods 5 a 2/10 for repairability, citing the battery connector change as the only notable improvement.

Despite the switch to pronged batteries, opening and servicing the earbuds remains tedious. iFixit notes technicians must clamp the earbud body and apply even hot air to the top section to soften the glue that secures the outer casing. Once the case is removed, the battery itself is still secured with adhesive strips, so careful work is required to extract and seat a replacement cell.

The teardown also confirms the batteries in the left and right buds cannot be swapped because they use opposite polarities, so replacements must be matched to each side. While distinct products such as the Fairphone Fairbuds have pursued repairability more aggressively, the AirPods 5 represent a modest step toward easier battery replacement for mainstream wireless earbuds.

iFixit attributes the 2/10 score to a single practical improvement: returning to pronged batteries makes replacement easier, but most of the disassembly and adhesive removal challenges remain.